Age of Jackson Resources

The Common Man Timeline

1789:George Washington is the unanimous choice to become the first President of the United States.

1789: President Washington begins to meet regularly with the heads of the Executive Departments (State, Treasury and War), known as the "Cabinet".

1794: George Washington personally leads the army to supress the Whiskey Rebellion, proving that the Constitution and the federal government can survive challenges to their authority.

1796: President Washington retires after two terms and gives his Farewell Address in which he warns of the dangers of political parties and urges the United States to stay neutral in foreign affairs.

1796: In a contested election, Federalist John Adams defeats Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson to become our second President. Laws in effect at the time dictate that the defeated Jefferson now serve as Adam's Vice President.

1797: The French are attacking American ships at sea and demand bribes to stop. Adams refuses to pay and exposes the "XYZ Affair" to the world.

1798: Federalists in Congress pass the Sedition Act of 1798, making it illegal to criticize anyone in the federal government. Democratic-Republicans are infuriated and believe the Act violates freedom of speech.

1799: Madison and Jefferson publish the Kentucky and Virginia Resolves in which they lay out an idea of nulification, tat the states have the power to ignore any federal law they don't agree with.

1800: Thomas Jefferson wins a close and bitterly contested Presidential election in which no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral votes, so the election is decided in the House of Representatives.

1765: The British Parliament passes the Stamp Acts to collect taxes directly from the American colonies.

1767: The Stamp Acts are repealed and replaced by a set of tariffs known as the Townsend Acts.

1770: American protestors in Boston are fired upon by British soldiers in what the colonists will call The Boston Massacre.

1789-90: North Carolina and Rhode Island are the last two states to ratify the Constitution, making it the law of the land.

Other Age of Jackson Daily Lesson Plans

The Age of Jackson unit contains two sections: the Jackson the Man looks at the early life of our first self-made President. the King Andrew section explains the events of Jackson's second term in office.

Go to each section's home page to see a further breakdown into daily lesson plans.